A new 30-second ad from Sen. Mark Udall focuses on Republican opponent Cory Gardner’s sponsorship of a federal bill that critics say would ban abortion and outlaw common forms of birth control.

Almost everyone but Congressman Gardner agrees that the federal bill is similar to state “personhood” measures that Coloradans overwhelmingly defeated and Gardner supported until just weeks after entering the Senate race in February. And the ad hammers home that theme.

“Colorado can’t just trust the real Cory Gardner,” the campaign said, in its news release.

Gardner’s campaign has blistered the Democratic senator for his focus on a single issue in a campaign where Coloradans are talking about jobs and the economy.

Democrats have been up this cycle with an aesthetically pleasing, but hard-hitting ad illustrating Rep. Mike Coffman’s past support of measures that would outlaw most forms of abortion and common forms of birth control.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s ad, “Undeniable,” uses Coffman’s handwritten responses from a 2008 questionnaire to respond to its own claims.

Claims:

1. Coffman supported the 2008 Personhood amendment that would outlaw many forms of birth control

When Coffman ran for the CD6 in 2008 he submitted a questionnaire from Colorado Right to Life, a Colorado based pro-life organization, answering “yes” to all seven questions posed from Right to Life including, “Do you support the 2008 Colorado Personhood Amendment?”

The 2008 amendment was titled Amendment 48, and it would have changed the Colorado state constitution by, “Defining the term ‘person’ to include any human being from the moment of fertilization as ‘person’ is used in those provisions of the Colorado constitution relating to inalienable rights, equality of justice, and due process of law.”

Hickenlooper offered an essentially unemotional reply to a loaded question he knew was coming. He only went so far as to call his Republican rival’s use of the murder of the administration’s prison chief in a new TV spot “unfortunate and dumbfounding.” He stuttered in his answer and looked like he wanted to say more but didn’t.

The Democrat left the debate without talking to reporters, but after an event Saturday on the campaign trail, Hickenlooper acknowledged he held back.

“In those debates, I think you sometimes can lose more than you can gain by letting your emotions get carried away,” he told The Denver Post. “I think it was better … sometimes when you speak aloud what you are feeling your emotion can get the better of you.”

He barely even offered a counter punch. “It was frustrating because I couldn’t find the right words,” he said.

Note: The video from the Udall campaign has been removed from this blog post because it contained copyrighted material from The Denver Post. The campaign has been asked to eliminate a clip taken from The Post’s debate.

U.S. Sen. Mark Udall, a Democrat, and his Republican opponent , Congressman Cory Gardner, face off during a televised debate at 9News in Denver on Oct. 15. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)

U.S. Sen. Mark Udall’s campaign has released a two-minute video showing his Republican opponent, Congressman Cory Gardner, getting hammered for his response to questions about his stance on personhood.

“Congressman Gardner has been lying to the people of Colorado in order to further his own political ambitions — and now he’s getting called out for it,” said Udall for Colorado spokesperson Kristin Lynch. “Gardner’s lies aren’t just dishonest, they’re disrespectful to the people of Colorado who deserve a straight answer on where he stands.”

The congressman in March announced he no longer supported personhood measures that appeared on Colorado’s ballot in 2008 and 2010 because he realized critics were right and they would result in banning some sorts of birth control. He called personhood a “bad idea driven by good intentions.”

Democratic Sen. Mark Udall and his challenger, GOP Congressman Cory Gardner, shake hands before taking the stage for a debate Oct. 7 in the auditorium of The Denver Post.(Photo By Brent Lewis/The Denver Post)

Gardner received 46 percent and Udall took 43 percent in a Public Policy Polling survey of likely voters released Tuesday. The edge is within the 3.5 percent margin of error. The other candidates in the race get a combined 5 percent with another 7 percent undecided.

It is the latest poll in a long line that show the Republican challenger ahead of the Democratic incumbent.

The governor’s race is even closer, the poll found, with Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper holding a one-point edge, 45 percent to 44 percent, against Republican challenger Bob Beauprez. The other candidates on the ballot get 4 percent with 7 percent undecided.

It is the just the latest poll to indicate the race is a toss-up ahead of the Nov. 4 election.

Democratic Gov. Roy Romer, left, and junior Cory Gardner, at an education funding rally at Yuma High School in 1992 that Gardner helped organize. Gardner is now running for the U.S. Senate. (Yuma Pioneer)

Republican Senate hopeful Cory Gardner can’t recall voting for a single Democrat although he was one for eight years.

Yuma County election records show Gardner registered as a Democrat in 1992 and switched his voter registration in 2000 to Republican. If, indeed, he never voted for a Democrat that means Gardner:

* Didn’t vote for Democratic Gov. Roy Romer’s re-election bid in 1994 although Gardner has said one of his proudest moments as a Yuma High School student (which was not his football career, obviously) was getting the governor to come talk to students in 1992 about the lack of education funding for rural schools. A photo in the Yuma Pioneer of the event begins with “Future politician?” in reference to the junior’s successful effort in attracting attention to the situation.

* Didn’t vote for former Fort Collins Mayor Susan Kirkpatrick for Congress in 1998, although he seconded her nomination at the Democratic 4th Congressional District assembly that year. Kirkpatrick said never at any time during that election did he indicate he was no longer backing her.

Trust Stephen Colbert, the over-the-top faux conservative commentator, to take on the personhood controversy dogging Republican Congressman Cory Gardner in his bid to unseat Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Udall.

In last night’s segment of “The Colbert Report” on Comedy Central,” Colbert examines what he calls “Midterm ‘014: Detour to Gridlock,” a look at Senate races that could tip the balance of power after November. His report on Colorado starts about 4:04 minutes in and includes a now obligatory pot joke (see: Clinton, Hillary), with Colbert saying the race is too close to call and the charts tracking voting patterns “now look like a recently lit joint.”

“Who would’ve thought a guy from Yuma would make Colbert?” was Gardner’s response to being targeted on the show.

Colorado Democrats have been relentless in challenging Gardner’s record on social issues. NextGen, a group headed by climate activist Tom Steyer, adds climate change to the list of Gardner’s policies that are being scrutinized heading into the November election.

In this ad, NextGen depicts Gardner as an intruder who has his sights set on the private lives of voters. The ad shows people locking up their homes and shutting the blinds to protect themselves from Cory Gardner’s “intrusive” policies on abortion, contraception, marriage equality and climate change.

The social issues prevalent in the U.S. Senate race once again trickled into the campaign for governor Thursday, as Republican candidate Bob Beauprez faced a question about whether he respected a woman’s right to choose an abortion.

“Nobody’s taking that away — that’s a false argument,” the former congressman told the Progressive 15 conference in Denver. “That’s the law of the land. Some like me are personally pro-life, but I’m not going to deny what the law provides you.”

Democrats contend his language, or at least his tone, conflicts with Beauprez’s prior statements. In his 2006 campaign for governor, which he lost by a wide margin, Beauprez said he opposes abortion even in cases of rape and incest. The only exception, he said, is when the mother’s life is endangered. He said he would sign a bill to that effect.

When the abortion question came up at the conference for Progressive 15, an organization of leaders from 15 northeastern Colorado counties, Beauprez suggested it’s a non-issue.

“I don’t want to make your choices in health care and I don’t think the conservatives do,” he told the 30 members in the audience. “The law is pretty clear.”

Congressional candidate George Leing, a Republican taking on U.S. Rep. Jared Polis, has denounced the “personhood amendment” on the November ballot.

“Just as many Democrats seem unwilling to oppose some of the extreme elements of their party, too many Republicans have succumbed to personhood’ advocates,” Leing said in a news release. “If Republicans, including pro-life Republicans, are to win elections statewide in Colorado, they must stand up to these efforts.”

Earlier this year, Senate candidate Cory Gardner made national news when he told The Denver Post he was wrong to have supported earlier personhood attempts, believing the measures do restrict access to birth control as critics have always maintained. Democrats are still blistering Gardner for his shift.

“This so-called personhood amendment is vague, risks unintended consequences on women’s healthcare, and hurts the pro-life cause and candidates,” Leing said, in a news release. “I do not support it.

Lynn Bartels thinks politics is like sports but without the big salaries and protective cups. The Washington Post's "The Fix" blog has named her one of Colorado's best political reporters and tweeters.

Joey Bunch has been a reporter for 28 years, including the last 12 at The Denver Post. For various newspapers he has covered the environment, water issues, politics, civil rights, sports and the casino industry.